Driving unit for motorcycle wheel



March 4, 1958 Eux-IER 2,825,417

DRlVING UNIT FOR MOTORCYCLE WHEEL' Filed March 15, 1956l s sheets-sheet1 3.9 Ff?- f 7 4 5 \i J March 4,1958 E; UQR 2,825,417

DRIVING UNIT FOR MOTORCYCLE WHEEL Filed March 13, 1956 5 SheetsfSheet 2Pfg. 3

` March 4, 1958 E. UHER DRIVING UNIT FOR MOTORCYCLE WHEEL 3 Sheets-Sheet5 Filed March 13, 1956 fm/emon' Fc/mon c/ [//Jer ATTO 'L N E 95 UnitedStates Pateftt" DRIVING UNIT FOR Moroncvcrn WHEEL Edmond Uher, Cheminsdes Mougins, France Application March 13,1956, Serial No. 571,337

' z claims. (ci. 18o-rs1) invention relates to a motor drive and refers,moreparticularly, to a complete driving unit intended for-driving awheel of a motorcycle and the like, and consisting ofthe motor, the gearconnection,I the wheel, a'fswinging arni, a shock absorber and all themeans necessary for the transmission of movements from the motor shaftto the wheel axle.

. Prior art drives for motorcycles included an endless belt which wasguided over two guiding rollers and was used to actuate the wheel.

was also used to support the gasoline container. Finally, constructionsare known wherein the motor and the drive are carried by a platformattached to the fork-shaped frame member. Y

` An object of the present invention is to improve all these and otherprior art constructions through the provision of a drive unit which isparticularly suitable for small motorcycles of thefinexpensive typehaving only one vmotor-driven wheel. Y

Another object is the provision of a motor drive of the described typewhich consists of a unit that may be attached to the vehicle at onesingle point or at one single location in such manner that it can beeasily attached and taken E when required,

Yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a motorunit which can be easily attached to a vehicle and which includes adriving motor of the internal combustion engine type, a gear drive, awheel, aswinging arm serving as a support for the wheel, a shockabsorber, as well as means for transmitting movements from the motorshaft to the wheel axle.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of awheel driving aggregate which is particularly suitable for use alongwith a stepless cone belt drive.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent in thecourse of the following specification.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention it was foundadvisable to provide a support serving as a carrierffor the motor andthe drive, including the means transmitting power and movements. Thecarrier follows approximately the outer circumference of the wheel ofthe vehicle and is mounted in the forrn of a bent body above the wheel.The carrier is connected on the one hand with a swinging arm and, on theother hand, with a shock absorber. The driving wheels as well as therotary axle of the oscillating and spring supported swinging arm, andalso preferably the motor shaft or the' crankshaft are located on or inthe carrier parallel to the wheel axis. This common carrier is providedwith a holding member or connecting member, preferably located betweenthe motor and the drive, by means of which the entire driving aggregatemay be attached, removably if desired, to a vehicle, or a supplementarypart of a vehicle, or to the frame of the vehicle or the like.

According to one of the embodiments of the present In another prior artconstruction p the fork-shaped frame element carrying the driving wheelICE invention, the driven shaft, as well as the pivot of the swingingarm, are located within the interior of the support which may beU-shaped. This construction is carried out preferably in such mannerthat the driven shaft of the drive extends coaxially in the innerchamber of the support which vreceives the lug serving as the pivot forthe link. The driving shaft is located within the arm pivot and carriesthe driving means, such as a gear wheel for a roller chain, for thewheel drive which may be direct or through a reduction gear. The wheeldrive is preferably located within a separate casing which constitutesthe swinging arm.

According to a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea the drivingaggregate for the wheel can be provided in a most simple and effectivemanner with a stepless conebelt drive in such manner that the motor, theconnecting member provided upon the carrier and used for attachment tothe wheel, the pair of driving belt pulleys, and the pair of driven beltpulleys, along with the transmission members belonging thereto, areprovided in the order named along the common support and are arrangedfanwise in relation to the axis of the wheel. The shaft of the pair ofthe driven pulleys is advantageously mounted within the rotary axle ofthe swinging arm.

According to a further embodiment of the inventive idea, it is possibleto use an ordinary step transmission such as a gear drive. The motor,the holding or attaching member for connection to the vehicle, as wellas the stepwise drive, such as the gear drive, may be provided along thecommon carrier and may be arranged fanwise in relationy to the axle ofthe wheel.

According to a specific embodiment of the present invention the drivingwheels, such as the gears, the counter shafts, as well as the drivenshaft, may be arranged one behind the other along the common support andat least the driven shaft or, preferably, additional or all shafts maybe arranged parallel to the wheel axis.

For steering purposes the one-wheel driving aggregate of the presentinvention can be rotatably or swingably mounted upon the frame of thevehicle.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,showing, by way of example, preferred embodiments of the inventive idea.

ln the drawings:

Figures l to 4 show astepless cone-belt drive, whereby Figure l is asection through a carrier constructed in accordance with the presentinvention and illustrates the combustion motor, the rotatably mountedholding bolt and the two pairs of belt pulleys of the cone-belt drive,along with'their axles but without the swinging wheel supporting arms.

Figure 2 is a top view of the device shown in Figure l, some parts beingshown in section.

Figure 3 is a side view of the driving aggregate of Figures l and 2 andalso shows the vehicle wheel, the wheel suspension and the shockabsorber.

Figure 4 is a section along the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figures 5 and 6 show a three-step drive, whereby Figure 5 is a sectionthrough a support constructed in accordance with the present invention,and also illustrates the motor, the rotatably supported connecting bolt,and the step drive along with the axles, pertaining thereto, but withoutthe wheel suspension.

Figure 6 is a top View of the construction illustrated in Figure 5, someparts being shown in section.

The construction shown in Figures l to 4 includes a U-shaped-support 1which is curved longitudinally, Corresponding to the circumference of awheel 4G of the vehicle. The carrien 1 is integral with a Ysleeve orholderV 2, providedlwith an extension 3S. The sleeve 2 con- Yconstituting a part of the vehicleortheflike..

. front Ywheel serving asV aV steering wheel.

' be firmly mounted in the sleeve 2 and Ywill tains Va connecting bolt 3which is mounted inthe sleeve minates in a threaded portion 5. VThisVconicalrend and-Y the threaded portionS serve forV attaching theVdevice to the .frame of a'vehicle or to ars'upplementary member, i

The bolt Y3 'extendsat an acute angle to the vertical plane andintersects the vertical symmetry axis of the wheel below the center ofthe wheel, to provide the dash lwhich facilitates steering.

The motor 6, which is of the internal combustion type,

has a longitudinal axis which extends horizontally.V The axis of thecrankshaft of the motorrextends parallel to the vehicle wheel 40. Themotor 6 Yis connected Vto the front end portion of the carrier 1 bymeans of two threaded bolts 7 and 8.` The bolt 7 may be constructedsomewhat eccentrically Yso Vas toY regulate the tensionof the drivingchain. Due Vto this arrangement'the; motor can f be moved toa smallextent about the other threaded bolt 8.

i The cone-belt drive of the device'is without stepsV and isV automatic;itV consists of two pairs of cone-beltpulleys 9 and 10,fand 11 and 1,2.Each of these pairs can be shifted axially inY relation to each otherand is loaded in the ,direction toward each other by springs, swingingweights and the like;Y This construction is knownV in the vart and isnot further illustrated. a

The pulley 10 isrcarried by an axle 173V which extends parallel to theaxis of the motor crankshaft and is located within a chamber 14 providedwithin the carrierI 1. The axle 13 is supported in ball bearings V15 and16.. The other end of the axle 13 carries a coupling 17. The casing ofthe coupling 17 carries a chain. wheel 18.. rlfhe wheel 18 is driven bymeans of a chain wheelrlSa which is attached to a crankshaft of themotor and which is connected with a wheel 18 `by means of an endlessroller chain 19. A casing 2,0 encloses the coupling 17 and serves forthe protection of the chain 19,

Thejdriven pair of pulleys 11 andV 12 is actuated by Y a cone belt 21,.The axle 22 carrying the pulleys 11 and 12 is mounted in a hollowchamber 22a of the carrier 1 As shown` in Figure 4, the chamber 22a inaddition to the axle 272 carries the'supporting Vpivot-2'3, whichY ishollow and which serves as the pivot Yfor the swinging arm 24.VY The arm24 is also hollow and is provided with a cover 25. The opposite endofthe arm'24lservesV as a bearing sleeve 26 for the axle 27 fof thewheel 40t The sleeve 26`carries the two ball bearings 28 and 29 whichsupport the axle 27. A pair of gears 30 and 31 is used to provide thenecessary transmission ratio.

A gear 32 for the endless chain 33 is keyed uponV the 35 (Fig.13) isused for resiliently suspending the wheel: Y40. The shock absorber 35 isconnectedrby means of a joint 36 with a swinging arm 24 and is alsoconnected by means of a joint 37 with the carrier 1. l

It is apparentV that the wheel drive of the present invention can beyalso used effectively -as a drive for the bolt V3 shown in FigureY l isrotatably Vmounted inthe carrier. The drive can be steered then by meansof a lever38; n Y v On the other hand, if thedrive is connected to theAY and provided with means for reversing its direction of rotation (notshown). When a two-stroke engine is L used, its direction -of rotationcanv be reversed tofprovide rearward movement'by changing the polarityof the In that case theV be lirmly at! *12,825,417 Y Vf Y i starter, sothat a gear-shift forV this purpose bccrnesl unnecessary.

easily and quickly attached to the motor frame and Yremoved therefrom.The fanwi-se yor radial'VV arrangement Y. of the driving elements andthe horizontal mounting of the motor require the least possible 'spaceforvthe Ldrive as a whole. The center of gravity of the ydriveliesfsulii- Yciently low. Furthermore, Vthe swingable drive can be wellbalanced through fthe ,.arrangeme'n't'ofthe fdynamo starter and the twobelt Ypulleys .upon one side' -of the Y carrier, while the wheelsuspension willbe locatedY upon the other side. Y Such static balancingofweight is quite important to provide eagsy steering..I

It is apparent that the motor 6 andthe drive, suchV Y l the cone-beltVpulleys 9 to 12l are Vlocated .within` the Y space defined by vtheupper quarter of thefcircumference of the wheel located between'vertical andhorizontal planes extending through the axis ofthe wheel.Thus,`

the -axis of the last pair of coneebelt lpulleys 11 -andj12 extends inthe horizontal plane through thecenter of thel motor vehicle, whichprovides a particularly stablear'-, rangement. `The motor 6 can vbeattachedV by meansof bolts 7 Vand 8 to projections provided uponthecarrierl Vupon that'side thereof Ywhich is oppositeV thel arm `.24.

Figures 5 and V6 illustratea Vsomewhat differenton' struction, whereinthe support or carrierlY is also U-Y shaped -in cross-section andise'bent inconformity;with4 Y. Y a the circumference of thewheel 40.TheY carrier 1 hasa i sleeve 2 V,whichrcarries a bolt 3 supportedinradial;bearings 4.' The bolt 3Y has -a conical extension 5 ,and a 'Ythreaded portion by `means of which ftheV support f1v` can` be attachedto the Vframe or -a supplementary frame eleY j ment of -a vehicle.

Y The combustion'motY-or 6Yhas a longitudinal axis extends horizontallyVand has a crankshaft;V the axisof` Y whichY extends parallel to thewheel 40. VThe motor 6 is attached to the carrier 1 byV means of boltsV,7 and 8. In order to regulate Ychain tension, the bolt Tinay-besomewhat eccentric so that the motor'6 maybe swungY to some extent aboutthe other bolt 8. i i f f v The multi-step drive of this constructionhas a ydriven shaft, extends coaxially upon therswingingarm 24 of therear wheel. The shafts 41V and 42 carry corf responding gear wheels44-45, 46-47, and 48-'`49, Vor the like, which correspondtothe'three'spe'eds capableV of beingset Iby the illustrated drive. .Thevariousrs'peeds can be set by means of the known wedge-geanorby: any

a third shaft 43 by means of the Ygears 50i andSjl.. A casingZl) servesto protect the chainV TheV swing, ing arm 24 of the rear wheelsuspension forms along withV` its cover 25 -a hollow casing and at itsother end serves Y as a bearing supp-ort for the wheel yaxle ina mannersimilar toY that of Figure 4 and notillustrated inthe; drawf ings.v f YY ilar to lthat previously described. 7 a Y In the illustrated examplesthe Vmotor. extends hori- V zon'tally, while the motorshaft extendsAparallel to theV axle of the wheel.' Dueto this arrangement, in'accofrd-V Y, Y

ance with the present invention, itis possible to mount all the drivingelements Vincluding the motor/and the two axlesV of the belttransmission pulleys which-can 'be part of -a cone-belt`drive, aswell asYthe axis of'rrotation-'ofthe Ywheel support, parallel with respecttotheir axes to) the wheel axle upon a single carrier adapted/to thecir-Va e mams; mission shafts 41 and 42.' A thirdrshaft 43, which Vis v InVother respects theconstruction is substantially.siinfVV cumference ofthe Wheel and rotatably or immovably mounted upon the vehicle frame orthe like.

riowever, in accordance with the present invention, this arrangement ispossible even when the motor is carried in a different position upon thesupport, for example, when the motor while extending horizontally has amotor shaft which extends transversely to the wheel axle and isconnected by a worm drive or the like with the first driven shaft. It isalso possible to replace the chain drive between the motor shaft and.the trst driven shaft, or between the driven shaft of the drive and thewheel, by other transmission means known in the art.

As is apparent from the illustrated constructions, the provision or useof the very elective stepless cone-belt drive is electively possiblewithin the contines of the present invention.

As already stated, the drive of the examples illustrated can be alsoused for the front steering wheel of the vehicle, in which case the bolt3 or 3' must be rotatably mounted and the drive can be actuated by meansof a lever 38 or 38. 0n the other hand, if the wheel is not to beturned, the bolt 3 or 3' is rmly mounted in the sleeve 2 or 2 and isthus attached lto the wheel frame. Furthermore, as already stated, thestarter dynamos 39 and 39' of the present invention can have reversedpolarity, so that they can be effectively used for rotating the wheel inthe opposite direction, without the necessity of using a specialgearshift for that purpose.

The fact that the drive is mounted on one place only makes thedismounting particularly effective, so that a single drive can be usedfor frames of dilerent construction. The entire device consumes theleast possible amount of space and is effectively balanced.

Obviously, the illustrated stepwise drive can be replaced by a differentdrive and the transmission can be made by pinions or any other suitablemeans. Furthermore, the driven member can be arranged in a separatecasing. All such and other variations and modications are to be includedwithin the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A motor drive aggregate for the wheel of a vehicle, comprising anelongated support located over a portion of said vehicle and having afront end and a rear end and a curvature corresponding substantially t0that of said wheel, a connecting bolt, a bearing carried by said supportintermediate the ends thereof and carrying said bolt, a sleeve carriedby said support and enclosing said bolt, said bolt having an end portionprojecting beyond said sleeve for the attachment of said support to thevehicle, a motor carried by said support, a motor drive carried by saidsupport and operatively connected with said motor, and means carried bysaid support and connected with said motor drive and said wheel fordriving said wheel; said motor, said bolt, said motor drive and saidmeans being located fanwise upon said curved support, the masses of theparts carried by said support between the front end thereof and saidbearing being substantially equal to the masses of the parts carried bysaid support between the rear end thereof and said bearing.

2. A motor drive laggregate for the wheel of a vehicle, comprising anelongated support located over a portion of said vehicle and having afront end and a rear end and a curvature corresponding substantially tothat of said wheel, a connecting bolt, a bearing carried by said supportintermediate the ends thereof and carrying said bolt, a sleeve carriedby said support and enclosing said bolt, said bolt having an end portionprojecting beyond said sleeve for the attachment of said support to thevehicle, a motor carried by said support between the front end thereofand said bearing, a motor drive carried' by said support between therear end thereof and said bearing and operatively connected with saidmotor, a hollow oscillatory arm connected with said motor drive and saidwheel, means located within said hollow arm and operatively connectingsaid motor drive with said wheel for driving said wheel, and a shockabsorber connected with said wheel and connected with said supportbetween the front end thereof and said bearing, said arm and said shockabsorber being of such length that the center ot said wheel is locatedin -front of said bearing.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,506,270 Pullin Aug. 26, 1924 2,420,100 Salsbury May 6, 1947 FOREIGNPATENTS 226,564 Germany July 18, 1909 315,915 Germany Nov. 15, 1919

